Thinking of breaking it off with my girlfriend.

LegacyUser

My girlfriend for the most part is actually really great on paper. We've been together about 5 months, Shes beautiful, intelligent, funny and has lots in common with me and is very loving.
However after her break up just before we got together she lost a lot of friends who sided with her ex and she now looks to me as her main source of company.
This would be fine except she can be quite high maintainance and if shes visiting me (she still lives at home) she requires a lot of attention. I guess its partially an age gap thing (I'm 26 shes 20) and she still sees visiting her boyfriend as a trip where you do loads of things and cram as much into the time as possible and I see having my girlfriend over as having another person in the house as I'm more used to living with girlfriends and them having their own stuff to do in the house if I want to do something by my self.
This in truth is not really a problem most of the time as when we're in college we only get to see each other two or three times a week at which point I want to spend all my time hanging out with her but when theres a break like xmas she does be over litterly from one end of the week to the next and is demanding the same amount of attention that whole time to the point where I find I have no time to do any work for college ( I'm in a very intensive course) and almost wound up not being ready for my presentations this week. also if I ask for time by myself she gets into a bit of a huff and complains and if I have something on which means she can't come over she'll just become really despondant in her own house and go into a depression.
Another point is she sees me as responsible for her social life. I'm not big into going to pubs as I can't really drink anymore due to a stomach problem and I can't stand hot loud clubs full of drunk people and she pretty much refuses to go out without me and is very hestitant to make new friends.
I try go out as much as possible but as I'm back studying my income is very low after I pay rent/bills and any money I have to spare I'd prefer to spend on something I'd use rather then throw it into a pub.
On top of this is her depression. She doesn't suffer from depression as such but she lost her father 4 years ago and her grandfather this year and is prone to sudden and heavy fits of depression which I have no idea how to deal with. These can literaly pop up at any time no matter whats going on and theres precious little I can do about it.
It seems to me that she might need a more attentive boyfriend who is prepared to give her the attention she needs and right now I don't know if thats me and day by day I'm feeling more and more trapped.

magneticimpulse

well you seem to have figured things out in your head. I say the age gap has a lot to do with the attention. She is 20 and still finding herself. Theres still quite some difference between 20 and 26! 20 is still sort of awkward coming out of teens age, getting on with college. She still lives at home and doesnt have that experience of living by herself and own independence. At 26 people have more confidence and less needy or relying on people, they also are more mature and most likely have few years of the real world under their belt, such as job, living alone or sharing (not with parents).

I suspect you would feel more comfortable with another woman who is 26 and who has these mature qualities as oppose to younger needy person